Catch net for playpens



Dec. 14, N C, E ROY 'CATCH NET FOR PLAYPENS Filed July 24, 1953INVENTOR. NORMAN C. LEROY, BY

United States Patent() CATCH` NET EOR PLAYPENS Norman C. Le Roy, Miami,`Fla.,

Application July 241953Seria lNo. 370,060

' Claims. (Cl. 5-317) This invention relates to acatch net fordetachable and collapsibleconnection to childrens. play pens and is animprovement over my United States Patent No. 2,607,052, issued August19, 1952.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a net structurethatextends entirely around the play pen to be angularly disposedoutwardly from the pen a dis: tance calculated to catch and entraparticles, such as bottles, toys or the. like thrown by the occupant oflthe pen to prevent them striking the floor and in many instances beingbroken.

The invention contemplates novel supports for mount: ing engagement uponthe play'pen at each corner, which supports serve to hold the net in anextended angular position from the sides of the pen entirely therearoundand with the supports constructed in a manner to permit them to beretracted against the side of the pen to collapse. the4 net andfacilitate attention to the occupant. of the pen.

The invention further contemplates the novel supports for angularlydisposing the net at a predetermined and desirable angle from the pen tocatch and collect articles thrown by children of very young age and withthe supports being further extensible to dispose the net outwardly agreater distance where the child is capable of projecting the articles agreater distance.

Novel features of construction and operation will be clearly apparentduring the course of the following description, reference being had tothe accompanying draw-V ings, wherein has been illustrated a preferredembodif ment of the invention and wherein like characters of referenceare employed to denote like parts throughout the several figures.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a play pen showing the inventionconnected therewith,

Figure 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the net support in thesupporting position, the pen and the net being fragmentarily shown,

Figure 3 is a plan view of the structure of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal section through the support andassociated mounting bracket, taken 'on line 4--4 of Figure 3,

Figure 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal section through thel outer end ofthe support, taken on line 5,- 5 of Figure 3 and,

Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective View illustrating the manner ofconnecting the net to the support,

Referring specifically to the drawings, the numeral 5 designates aconventional childs play pen, generally :square in top plan and jhavingopen sides 6, a lbot-torn 7 and ground legs k8. The legs 8 may beomitted and .the invention is ust as applicable to play pens having nolegs and which set directly upon the oor. The specific structure -of thepen is relatively unimportant, since it forms no part of the presentinvention.

Mounted at each of `the corner legs 8 of the pen at their upper ends,are cradle brackets, indicated as -a whole -by the numeral 10. Eachofthe brackets 10 comprises a pair .of vertically arranged vspaced apartand -para'llel side walls 11, connected at their :lower edges:b3/:integral spaced apart semi-.cylindrical straps 12. Each 'of theside walls V11 carry attaching wings 13, `ang-led substantiallyforty-tive degrees 'from fthe 4plates yand fthese wings '13 areapertured for gthe u,passage o f fastening screws 14. 'Bhe Twings ,13llave fa 'height substantially :corresponding :to the :upper yrail oftthe men,

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Each ot the bracketsl Support a tubular arm 15, to swingin a4 verticalplane. The arm 15 is hingedly Sup.- ported within the bracket by across-pin 1,6 that projects through a slot 17 formed in the bottom ofthebracket to form a fulcrum for the arm. The pin 16 engages the upper edgeof the lslot at opposite sides of the bracket, in which position the armhas simul-y taneous resting engagement with the straps 12. The arm 15 islikewise shiftable endwise with respect to the bracket and is limited insuch movement by the ,abutment ofthe pin 1 6 with the outer end of theslot 17, in which position the inner end of the arm will clear the innerstrap 12 and permit the arm to be swung upward and then projecteddownwardly axially `through tl-ie slot to disposev the arm in thecollapsed position shown in dotted line in Figure 2. The arm is'limitedin its downward axial movement by a preferably inte? gral .collar 18formed on its outer end,' with the collar having a diameter adequate tooverlie the upper edges of the plates or, side walls 11 of the bracket.The bracket 10 thus forms a cradle for the operative resting sup.- portofthe arm 15. The arm 15r is longitudinally slotted for its majorlength, as at 19, with the outer end of the slotofset and undercut as at20 for locking engagement with a headed pin 21, carried by a telescopicextension rod 22. The rod 22 -is slidable into and out of the arm 15 andin normal retracted position, extends slightly beyond the collared en dof the arm 15. rIlhe )10d '22 -is preferably for-med tubular -with itsouter projecting end`forrned open.

Disposed entirely 'around the pen and adapted lto be angled outwardlyfrom the sides 6 and identical degree throughout the circumference, isan open mesh catch net 23, having a lower hem 24 -intowhich is threadeda draw and tie cord A25, through the medium of which the lower marginaledge oi' the net may be securely bound around ,the bottom of the pen `ata point slightly below the bottom '7. The upper marginal edge of the net23. is preferably provided with alreinforced hem 26, into which is`threaded an elastic cord for maintaining the net -2;3 substantiallytaut throughout its extended use. At equidistantly spaced points aroundthe hem 26, the net is provided with attaching grommets 27, see moreparticularly Figure 6, and lthe hem -is connected to t-hevprojectingends of the several rods 2 2, by ball headed pins 21S,Passing through the 4grommets 27 and friction- ,ally engaging ythetubular rods 22, ithrough the medium of which the. hem 2.6 is -SeGureI-v@inflected t0 the rods `against accidental displacement, yet may ibequickly and easily diseonaeeted by merely withdrawing the pins :28.Under normal operating conditions, Awhere the child .is yer-y young, therod is fully telescoped into the vvarm 15, with the net disposed atapproxi-mately `the angle shown. The rods 22 will be held againstaccidental telesco e 'shifting by the :fett-active `force ,of the.elastic .cord wlthul the heal 2li The bracket? .1.0 may be arranged thecradle .straps 12 slight-ly 4angled upward' to .disnase .e arm L5 andthe md .22 slightly angled upward `to maintain lthe upper marginal ,edge,of .the .net 23 approximately ilush with the upper rail ,of the ,pen-to provide the maximum protection.

the use .of the .do/ica ideasal brackets@ are fastened ,at each `cor-nerof the pen ,at the upper end ,of the legs 8. The several 4,arms i5 aremounted ,within their respective brackets and the pins y)L6 forced there:through gto project an equal `distance beyond .each side wall 11. Thearms 15 are v,thus Vsecurely connected vto :the brackets ,againstdisplacement ,and will .be )limited lin their downward swinging movementby engagement with the `straps 1 2. The rods 22 are then telescopediin-to the arnis 1S and the headed ,pins v2l .screwed or otherwiseengaged therewith, thus limiting the telescopic ,movement ,of the ,rodsin either direction. The net is then 'securely .tied around the ,bOiimof the pen by .the .cord and the upper hem Ais `C,O1,1I,1CI$ 1 with the`several ,rods 2 2 vby zthe Ipins 23. .Upon release, ,the upper hem .26will be .held .taut with the .net angled outwardly from the `pe equal`distante thmushaut ,the .Crwmference of the aan it @will {na/1.1.9obten/sd, that a very substantial .vre-

tively catch any and all objects, such as bottles or toys which may bethrown by the occupant, shoved over the top of the pen or which may beforced through the open sides, with all such objects rolling gentlydownwardly to the bottom of the net where they may be easily and quicklycollected and redeposited in the pen. The bottles or such like, are thusprotected against breaking and avoids the need for the attendant to becontinually picking the objects up from the floor, as is so commoninpresent pens now in use. With older occupants of the pen, who have theability to throw objects a greater distance, it becomes necessary toextend the net outwardly for greater protection. When this becomesnecessary, the attendant merely pulls the rods 22 outwardly their fullextension and then by giving the rods a partial turn, locks the pins 21in the offset slot 20. This extension of the net 23 is possible due tothe recognized resiliency of netted material, coupled with the elasticcord in the hem 26. The net'will thus be securely held in the fullyextended position shown by dotted lines in Figure 2. To release the netso that it may assume its normal position, the operator merely reversesthe rotary movement of the rods 22 and the elastic cord will immediatelyshift the rods inwardly to the point where the pins 21 abut the innerend of the slot 19.

When there is no need for the net, or when the occupant of the penrequires attention,V it is desirable that the net be fully collapsed tofacilitate such attention. To accomplish this, the attendant shifts thearms 15 forwardly in the brackets to the limit of movement of the pins16, at which time the inner end of the arms will clear the inner cradlestrap 12, permitting the arms 15 and associated rods 22 with itsattached net to swing upward and permit the arms to be projecteddownwardly through the open slotted bottom of the bracket to assume acollapsed position substantially parallel with. the legs 8. shown indotted lines in Figure 2. Thus the net is shifted to a position againstthe side of the pen and offers no obstruction tothe full access to theinterior. Por attending to the occupant, it may only be necessary thatthe attendant collapse one or possibly two of the supports or, it may bethat the net will be entirely collapsed when the pen is unoccupied.After the net has been collapsed, it may be easily and quickly extendedby lifting the arm upward to a point where the pin 16 abuts the edges ofthe slot 17, at which time the arm 15 is swung downwardly and thenshifted rearwardly to overlie the inner cradle strap 12 where it issecurely locked against further accidental shifting. The net 23 rnav bequickly and easily removed from the supports and from the pen forlaundering by simply removing the pins 28 and untieing the cord 25. Thenet may be further attached to the pen by tacking or otherwise at pointsaround its lower hem 24 to prevent sagging under the weight of obiectscollected therein.

Tt will be apparent from the foregoing, that a very effective protectivecatch net has been provided for use with play pens. The parts are fewand simple and cheap to manufacture, are strong, durable and'easilymounted upon the pen. The cost of the device and its installation willmore than compensate for the saving in broken bottles or the like. Whenthe pen is to be stored, the net may be entirely removed and the armscollapsed, where they will be entirely out of the way, but always readvfor use.

Changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts and materialsemployed are contemplated as readily fall within the spirit of theinvention or the scope of 'the subioined claims. l

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

l. In combination a catch net and a childs play pen of the type that isgenerally square in top plan and which is provided with corner posts, aclosed bottom and open sides, the net adapted to extend entirely aroundthe pen, the net having a lower marginal hem that is snugly engagedaround the bottom of the pen and an upper resilient marginal hem,brackets xed at the upper end of each of the corner posts, an armpivotally supported in each of the brackets to extend outwardly in agenerally horizontal plane, extension means carried by each of the armsthat has detachable connection with the resilient hem of the net atequidistantly spaced points, the arms and the extension means supportingthe net in a position of angularity outwardly from the sides of the penan equal distance throughout the circumference of the pen, the pivotalmeans between the arms and the brackets permitting the arms to swing invertical planes to be shifted to positions parallel with the cornerposts to dispose the net in collapsed position against the sides of thepen.

2. The device according to claim l, wherein the brackets provide acradle support for the arms at their inner ends that is adapted tosupport the arms in a generally horizontal plane outwardly from theposts, the pivotal means permitting the arms to swing upwardly from thehorizontal, means between the brackets and the arms to lock the armsagainst swinging movement, the extension means being telescopic withrespect to the arms and adapted to .be shifted outwardly to increase theangularity of the net outwardly from the sides of the pen and lockingmeans to retain the extension means in the extended position.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the brackets are U-shapedand cut away at their bottoms to form avpair of. spaced apartcradlestraps, the brackets provided with angle wings that are apertured forconnection to the pen, the arms and the extension means being tubularand telescopic with respect to each other, the inner end of each armwhen in the horizontal net supporting position being supported in thebrackets to have a normal resting support'upon the cradle straps, thearms being swingable in a vertical plane to be shifted axiallydownwardly between the spaced cradle straps to dispose the arms inpositions parallel with the corner posts, means carried adjacent theinner ends of the arms whereby when the arms are in the horizontalposition they may be axially shiftable to have interlocking engagementwith the brackets to prevent swinging movement, pin and slot connectionbetween the arms and the extension means to limit the shifting movementof the extension means, the extension means when in the extendedposition having interlocking connection with the arms, the outer ends ofeach of the extension means having a detachable connection with theresilient hem of the net.

4. In combination a catch net device and a childs play pen and with thecatch net having detachable connection with the play pen in a mannerwhereby it is disposed entirely around the circumference of the pen, thenet provided with a lower hem having a draw and tie cord to snuglyengage the hem entirely around a bottom of the pen, the net providedwith an upper resilient hem for its entire circumference that isprovided with grommets at equally spaced points in its circumference,the

pen having corner posts and open sides, brackets rig-- idly secured tothe corner posts adiacent their upper ends, the brackets being U-shapedand comprising spaced apart side walls open at the top and with thebottoms cut away to provide a pair of spaced apart cradle straps thatprovide an-elongated slot, apertured wings carried by the side walls inxed connection to the upper end of the pen, a tubular arm supported atone end in each of the brackets to have normal resting support upon thecradle straps, a pivot pin carried by the inner end of each arm to'havetraverse engagement in the elongated slot, the outer ends of the armsbeing open and Qflanged, the arms when in one position overlying bothcradle straps of their respective brackets with their pins contactingthe lower edges of the side walls to lock the arms against verticalswinging movement, the arms being axially shiftable outwardly todisengage the innermost cradle straps to permit the arms to be swungupwardly to be projected axially downwardly through the slots to assumepositions parallel with the corner posts, the arms being limited intheir downward movement by the abutment of the flanges with the upperedges of the walls,

aV tubular extension rod axially shiftable int'o and out of each of thetubular arms, a pin and slot connection between the arms and the rods tolimit the shifting movement of the rods, the rods when shifted to thelimit of their outer movement being partially rotatable tohav- 'inginterlocking engagement with the arms, the outer ends of the extensionrods formed open and connecting means between the outer ends of the rodsand the resilient hem that comprises headed pins that pass through thegrommets and have frictional engagement with the tubular rods, the armsand the rods when in one position serving to support the net device in aposition 'of angularity outwardly fromV the sides of the pen an equaldistance throughout the circumference ofthe .pen,.the

arms when shifted to a position parallel with the corner posts servingto dispose the net against the sides of the pen.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the spacing of the bracketside walls is substantially identical with the diameter of the arms andwherein the opening of the slot is such as to permit the projection ofthe arm downwardly therethrough, the engagement of the inner ends of thearms within the brackets at all times being such as to prevent lateralmovement of the arms, the headed pins connecting the resilient hem ofthe net being cylindrical and of a diameter corresponding to the innerdiameter of the extension rods with the pins being first insertedthrough the grommets to axially and frictonally engage the inner face ofthe rods.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 924,554 Jackson June 8, 1909 1,377,860 Thomas May 10, 19212,607,052 Le Roy Aug. 19, 1952

